The bigger they are, the harder they fall. As cliche as that sounds, it epitomizes what went down on Saturday evening. The star-studded Inter Miami fell flat in the very first round of the MLS playoffs, following a 3-2 loss to Atlanta United. Tensions were high among the players after the final whistle. In the backwash of it all, Spaniard Jordi Alba had a few choice words for the referee.

Inter Miami came into the game as the no.1 seed after winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield. They even amassed a record points tally in their path to the postseason. For Messi and company, the 3-game series against no.9 Atlanta United seemed straightforward. What ensued was anything but. Here’s Alba’s reaction which perhaps stemmed from a few controversial calls during the game.

Not the left-back’s most dignified moment. Inter Miami players were visibly angry at the ref after what they believed was a handball in the box, late in the first half. However, the major point of contention surfaced around Bartosz Slisz scoring what turned out to be the nail in Miami’s figurative coffin.

Miami CB Tomas Aviles was down hurt and his teammates pleaded to the ref to halt play. The whistle never blew, and Slisz headed in Atlanta’s 3rd in the 76’ minute. Players flooded toward the ref in protest but to no avail. Inter Miami lost the series 1-2, in what is arguably the biggest upset in MLS history.

Meanwhile, tensions boiled over for Alba after the ref’s decisions. Or lack thereof, they were brewing prior to the game. He, like most European imports into the league, voiced his disdain over the playoff format. An upset of this magnitude for the league’s most popular team is bound to cause discourse around the same. 

Jordi Alba slams the MLS Playoff format after Miami’s untimely exit

“We were the most consistent team, we broke the points record, we had a good season but what we wanted was to win these playoffs…. I think this format is a bit unfair. It’s been done for many years but I think it should be the champion of one conference against the champion of the other, to make it as fair as possible”, said Alba post-match.

The MLS format is unique to itself in the soccer realm. Most leagues around the world end after what we would know as the “regular season”. While the league does recognize the winner after 34 games as the Supporters’ Shield champ, the MLS Cup is probably in the upper echelon of the hierarchy.

Jordi Alba and his team will now have to wait until 2025 for a shot at glory. As for Atlanta, the club isn’t averse to deep playoff runs. They’ll seek to build upon this massive upset against another Florida team. They face Orlando City in the next round.